Furnace-feeding mechanism



Aug. 3,1926. 1,594,561 R. S. RILEY ET AL FURNACE FEEDING MECHANI SM Filed Dec. 31. 1921 III I n \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\c N V EN TORIS ja/fiea'z o Zfdey By @1611? reach 7 Patented Aug. 3,. 1926..

UNITED STATES ROBERT S. RILEY AND CARL I'I. RICH, OF H OROESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASEIGN OTS4 I 1,594,561 PATENT OFFICE.

TO SANFORD RILEY STOKER 00., OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA'.

'IION OFv MASSACHUSETTS.

FURNACE-FEEDING MECHANISM.

Application fi1ed December 31, 1921.. Serial No. 526,325.

This invention relates to the fuel feeding mechanism of an underfeed stokerand particularly to improved mechanism by which the rate of fuel feed in each separate stoker retort may be varied as desired.

, It has been found extremely desirable to be able to vary the rate of feed to suit clifferent conditions of load as well as variations in the nature of the fuel and in the condition of the fuel bed. It is customary, however, to drive the fuel feeding plungers or rams from a crankshaft which commonly moves at a single continuous rate of speed.

It is one object of our invention to provide means for positively advancing each fuel feeding plunger to a definite inmost position on each feeding stroke and for varying the position to which the plunger is withdrawn on its idle or inoperative stroke. With this general object in view, an important feature of our invention relates to the provision of a twopiece plunger, together with the provision of mechanism permitting a clesired amount of lost motion between the two parts of the plunger.

Another feature of our invention relates to the provision of novel adjusting devices by which the amount oflost motion for each plunger in a multiple retort furnace may be separately adjusted, and by which alsoqall of the plungers may be simultaneously reset.

Our invention further relates to arrange ments and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of our inventlon is shown in the drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of port1ons of a stoker retort and fuel feeding mechanism embodying our improvements,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of two of the adjusting bars,

3 is a partial side elevation of one of the adjusting bars and its operating wheel, and

Fig. 4:- is a diagrammatic fragmentary plan view of a plurality of retorts and fuel feeding mechanism associated therewith.

Referring to'the drawings, we have shown portions of an underfeed furnace of a usual form, including "hopper 10, a cylinder 11, a fuel chute or'passage 12 leading to there tea and a crankshaft 13 continuously rotated from any-suitable source of power not shown). In the operation of the stoker,

the hopper 10 is supplied with coal orv other fuel which is forced through the pas+ sage 12 to the retort by the action of a fuel feeding plunger driven by the crankshaft 13. Our improvements relate particularly to the construction and operation of this;

plunger.

As shown herein, our improved plunger comprises a plunger head 1-4, and an open cylinder or sleeve 15. A connecting rod or link 16 is pivoted at one end on the crankpin 17 of the crankshaft 13, and at its other sleeve 15 and is positioned thereby as shown- A weight .20 on the lever =20 in Fig. 1.

holds the hook-shaped end of the lever.

yieldingly depressed.

A separate adjusting bar 28 is provided,

for each retort and plunger. Each bar 23 has a series of saw-tooth projections 24L on its lower face, and these teeth mesh with corresponding, teeth on cog wheels 25 fixed to a shaft 26 which preferably extends across the entire series ofretorts.

Atits front or right-hand end (as viewed in Fig. 1) each bar 23 has a pair of projections or lugs 27 which are disposed in grooves or recesses 28 formed by horizontal guide-bars 29 secured to the top of the cylinder 11 and on each side ofa longitudinal slot 30 through which the part 22 of the lever 20 travels. Each bar'23 isalso provided with a lug 31 at its opposite end resting upon the top of one of the guide-bar 29 and prevent.- ing undue depression of the rear end of the adjusting bar. It will be also noted in the drawings that the teeth 24 at each of the curved ends of the. bar 23. are decreased in depth as clearly shown in Fig. '3 for a purpose to be described.

Having described the details of construQ- tionof our improved, mechanism, the method of operation thereof is as follo wszp When a fire is started it-is usually desirable to operate each feeding'mechanism at-its r1111 capacity and for. this purpose the adi the plunger head.

justing bars 23 are all placed in the position full stroke of thesleevelii in both directions.

The travel of the sleeve 15 is directly effected by the crank-shaft 13, and the sleeve is thus regularly reciprocatedover a path of fixed and definite length.

When it is desired to reduce'the rate of fuel feed in a particular retort, the corresponding adjusting bar 23 is moved forward by raising the rear end of the bar so that the teeth 2% aredisengaged from the cog wheel. The bar is then advanced to a selected position, as indicated in Fig. 2, and the outer or front end of the bar engages the lever projection22 as the sleeve and plunger head move forward and raises the hook-shaped end of the lever out of operative position.

As the sleeve is withdrawn on its idle stroke, the lever hook passes over the flanges or ledges 19 until the sleeve reaches a point where the projectionQQ is freed from its bar 23, permitting the hook to descend and engage one of the flanges 19. By suitably adjusting the bar 23, the hook may be caused to engage any desired flange 19, thus providing any desired amount oflost motion between the sleeve and the plunger head and correspondingly reducing the outward travel of Each separate plunger may thus be independently adjusted to suit the working conditions ina particular retort. v

It is sometimes desirable, however, to reset all of the adjusting bars to provide full working strokes for each plunger, and for this purpose the shaft 26 may be manually rotated to return all of the adjusting bars to the position shown in Fig. 1. If the bars have been heretofore difi erently adjusted, as indicated in Fig. 2, it is evident that some of the bars will reach the desired position in advance of other bars, and for this purpose the reduced teeth at the end of the bars are provided so that the cog wheels may slip idly past the partial teeth of the bars when the latter have reached their inmost position.

Our invention has been herein described as particularly adapted to a multiple retort stoker, but it should be understood that the invention also serves many useful purposes when used in a single retort stoker. This is particularly the case when a number of single stokers have a common air supply or common actuating mechanism. 5

Having thu described our invention, it will be seen that we have provideda very simple mechanism by which the rate of fuel feed in a stoker retort may be controlled as desired, or, in fact, may be entirely discontinued without interfering in any way with the operation ofother retorts. It will be further evident that changes and modifications may be made in our invention by those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope thereof as set forth in the claims, and we do not wish to be otherwise limited to the details herein disclosed but what we claim is 1. In an underfeed stoker, a plurality of coal-engaging and coal-feeding members, driving mechanism therefor, separate con nections between said. driving mechanism and the coal-feeding members, separately adjustable devices effective to shorten the feeding strokes of selected coal-feeding members, and means to simultaneously set all of said adjustable devices for full stroke operation of said feeding members.

2, In an underfeed stoker, a cylinder, a fuel feeding plunger slidable therein, said plunger comprising a sliding member and a plunger head, one of said elements having a series of abutments therein, a latch mounted on the other of said elements and adapted to engage selected abutment, and neans effective to separate said latch from its abutment at a selected point in the idle return stroke of said plunger, said'sliding member having operative driving engage ment with said plunger head on the working stroke ofsaid plunger.

In an under-feed stoker, a plurality of.

coal-engaging and coal-feeding members,

drivin mechanism therefor, a separate con nection between said driving mechanism and each coal-feeding member, separately adjustable bars and means on said members cooperating with said bars effective to vary the feeding strokes of selected coal-feeding members, and means to simultaneously set allof said bars in position for full stroke operation of said feeding members.

4. In anunderfeed stoker, a cylinder, a fuel feeding plunger slidable therein, said plunger comprising a sliding member and a plunger head, said head having a series of projections thereon, a hook mounted on said member, and means to cause said hook to engage a selected projection on the idle return stroke of said member, said member having operative driving engagement with said head on the working stroke of said plunger. 5. In an underfeed stoker, acylinder, a fuel. feeding plunger slidable therein, said plunger comprising a sliding member and a plunger head having a series of internal flanges, a hook lever mounted on said member, and means to move said lever to form operative engagement with a selected one of said flanges, said member having operative driving engagement with said head on the working stroke of said plunger.

6.111 an underfeed stoker, a cylinder, a fuel feeding plunger slidable therein, said plunger comprising a slidingmember and a plunger head having a series of internal flanges, a hook lever mounted on. said memher, and means to move said lever to form operative engagement with a selected one of said flanges, said means comprising an adjusting bar movable to different positions in the path of travel of said lever, and said member having operative driving engagement with said head on the working stroke of said plunger.

7. In an underfeed stoker, a cylinder, a fuel feeding plunger slidable therein, said plunger comprisinga sliding member and a plunger head having a series of internal flanges, a hook lever mounted on said mem her, and means to move said lever to form operative engagement with a selected one of said flanges, said means comprising an adjusting bar having a toothed lower surface and a cog wheel engaged thereby, said wheel being normally at rest to hold said bar in adjusted position, and said member having operative driving engagement with said head on the working stroke of said plunger.

8. In an underfeed stoker, a cylinder, a fuel feeding plunger slidable therein, said plunger comprising a sliding member and a plunger head having a series of internal flanges, a hook lever mounted on said member, and means to move said lever to form operative engagement with a selected one of said flanges, said means comprising a toothed adjusting bar, a cog wheel engaged thereby, and means to rotate said wheel to reset said bar, said member having operative driving engagement with said head on the working stroke of said plunger.

9. In an underfeed stoker, a cylinder, a fuel feeding plunger slidable therein, said plunger comprising a sliding member and a plunger head having a series of internal flanges, a hook lever mounted on said member, and means to move said lever to form operative engagement with a selected one of said flanges, said means comprising a.

cog wheel, a toothed adjusting bar normally engaging said wheel but adapted to be raised out of engagement therewith, and means to rotate said wheel, said member having operative driving engagement with said head on the working stroke of said plunger.

i 10. In an underfeed stoker, a plurality of coal feeding mechanisms, toothed adjusting bars for said mechanisms, a shaft, cog wheels on said shaft engaged by said bars, and means to rotate said shaft, the teeth at the ends of said bars being of reduced depth to permit slipping of said cog wheelswhen the bars reach their limits of travel.

In testimony whereof we have hereuntov affixed our signatures.

ROBERT S. RILEY. CARL H. RICH. 

